UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell still undecided on future; return still possible

More than two months after his disappointing UFC 115 loss to Rich Franklin, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell (21-8 MMA, 16-7 UFC) is still waiting to decide what comes next.

During a special Q&A session at this past weekend’s UFC Fan Expo Boston 2010 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Liddell said he hopes to make a decision in the next month or two, but he isn’t ruling out a return to the cage.

And if he does come back, it won’t be for a one-off affair.

“I don’t know yet,” Liddell said of his future. “I haven’t taken too much time to think about it. I’ve been traveling. I’ve only been home two days in a row twice since my last fight, so I really haven’t settled down.

“I get to be home for a month here coming up, so I’m going to go home and kind of figure out what I’m doing now.”

Liddell remains one of the UFC’s most beloved fighters, and in 2009 he was enshrined in the organization’s Hall of Fame. But despite coming to UFC 115 in the best condition he’s been in years, Liddell still suffered a first-round knockout to former middleweight champion Rich Franklin.

The loss was Liddell’s third-consecutive knockout defeat, and he fell to just 1-5 in his past six outings.

The difficult stretch led UFC president Dana White in June to declare Liddell retired. When pressed by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) to determine what he would do if Liddell insisted on further competition, White sheepishly stated he would consider releasing the “Iceman.”

That statement fueled speculation that Liddell could take his services elsewhere if White held firm to his demands. But at the Q&A session, Liddell said fighting outside of the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization didn’t really appeal to him.

“[White] really kind of left it up to me,” Liddell said. “I really haven’t thought about it. Until I figure out what I’m doing and decide what I want to do, there’s no reason to think about that.

“I mean really, if I come back to fight, I want to fight to be the best and prove I’m the best. The only place I can do that is the UFC.”

During the hour-long fan-driven Q&A, the subject of a potential Liddell return to the octagon to “punch Tito Ortiz in the head” was brought up several times.

While Liddell said he’d be more than happy to face his arch-rival and complete the coaches fight from “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ that never took place, the 40-year-old said if he returns, he’s not limiting the list of potential opponents. He’ll be looking to make a run at the belt, and that means he’ll take on all comers.

“I’ll fight whoever,” Liddell said. “Whatever it takes to get back to a world title, if I decide to continue.”

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